Features

For thousands of dog owners, July 4 is the scariest holiday of the year. Pet parents with dogs afraid of loud noises dread the firecrackers and fireworks that paralyze their pooch with fear. A new drug recently approved by the FDA hopes to ease some of these sound anxieties with a unique gel medication. Before we reveal this breaking advancement, let’s review noise phobia in dogs.

SUNSET BEACH — A state bill to de-annex a senior complex has been approved by the Senate and passed second reading Tuesday, June 27, in the House.

It was unclear at press time whether Senate Bill 289 to de-annex Sunset Creek Commons from Sunset Beach will require a third reading, but it was approved on second reading by a 98-14 vote Tuesday afternoon, according to an update on the North Carolina General Assembly website.

Patriotism prevails as Americans celebrate the country’s 241st birthday with an array of events planned in coming days, starting with the North Carolina Fourth of July Festival in Southport and concluding with fireworks over the Calabash River.

Imagine what horticulture was like in England before the Revolutionary War. The British have always been wild about growing new things, and the development of the Atlantic colonies offered a tremendous number of new plants to try out. It wasn’t easy, though, to get these new plants back to England across the ocean. Oh, sure, seeds were pretty easy to get back … but real live plants were not. Botanists and nurserymen came up with all sorts of ideas about how best to transport them. One of these people was a chap named John Ellis.

North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida have all reported recent outbreaks of a new strain of canine influenza known as H3N2. Earlier outbreaks quickly spread from the Midwest to at least 12 states. Well more than 2,000 H3N2 cases have been reported to date in the U.S. H3N2 is not known to be contagious to humans, although cats may be at risk for contracting the respiratory infection. Here’s what you need to know to protect your dog.

Since launching two years ago, Sunset Vision continues to focus on the future.

The nonprofit community group’s next venture is the Sunset Beach Nature & Wildlife Art Show and Sale launching for three days this week and culminating with a $25-per-person reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 23, at Triple D’s Hemi Haven Classic Car Showroom at 7011 Beach Drive, Ocean Isle Beach.

The third week of September 1978 marked the start of an era, the launch of The Fantastic Shakers, now renowned and touted as the “South’s Finest Show Band.”

Since the beginning, the Lincolnton-based band, which graces Calabash’s summer concert series stage starting at 6 p.m. next Tuesday, June 27, has performed more than 6,000 engagements from New York to Florida.

It's spooky, romantic, swaying, and quintessentially southern: Spanish moss is a plant shrouded in mystery. What follows is Spanish Moss 101, a brief course on this fascinating epiphyte. (Don’t worry, there won’t be a quiz.)

“I can’t believe he hasn’t called me back yet.” “The construction guy said he’d be here today.” “When will these terrible twos end?”

From traffic jams to family squabbles to lines at the grocery checkout, we’re faced with curveballs every day. And it’s not what happens to us in our lives; it’s how we deal with what happens that determines how well things flow for us.

I’m a fan of Frenchies, a bulldog, Boston terrier and Boxer buff, a paramour of pugs and Pekes, and admit serious sentiments for Shih-tzus. In addition to my abundant affection, these breeds have in common certain anatomical traits that make them both wonderfully cute and incredibly impaired. Brachycephalics, or “smushed-face dogs,” while extraordinary in appearance, must be cared for carefully to keep them healthy and happy. Here are some of my must-know health tips for brachycephalic dogs.

Rock out and remember the songs of the 1950s and ‘60s this week and next as Brunswick Little Theatre transforms into “Smokey Joe’s Café” June 15-18 and 22-25.

Based on the prolific and successful songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the show became the longest running musical revue in Broadway history when it opened in 1995 and ran for 2,036 performances.

It was also nominated for seven Tony awards and took home the Grammy award for best musical show album.

Summer concert stages will heat up in coming days and weeks, especially as musical legends The Embers with Craig Woolard team up to entertain at four Brunswick County summer concerts.

The renowned beach music legends are scheduled to perform at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, June 18, at the Pavilion at the end of Jordan Boulevard in Holden Beach and on July 7 in Ocean Isle Beach, Aug. 22 in Calabash and Sept. 6 in Sunset Beach.

The Embers have solidified their position as a thriving musical entity, leaving their mark on listeners for decades.

There are two mysteries this week. First off, if you don’t know what these funny-looking things are in the photo, I’ll have to tell you straightaway they are hearts of palm and they do indeed come from a palm tree. The second mystery will be the actual name of the plant involved here.